søndag 23. august 2009

Sperrverband Infantry Company (GBX28)

To halt an enemy advance take your best men and equipment and block their lead elements.
— General der Infanterie, Kurt Tippelkirch

That’s exactly what the Germans did in facing Soviet breakthroughs.

They hastily created an elite blocking force to enable the rest of the division to fall back to more defensible positions. These heroes formed the Sperrverband.

A Sperrverband was a special company created with the best men and equipment the infantry could muster. These experienced veterans knew what needed to be done, and equipped themselves well. Their mission to stop the advancing Soviet army bought time for their division to escape encirclement.

Until the arrival of the 12. Panzerdivision and later the 4. Panzerdivision, the Sperrverband fought the Red Horde alone, for the relentless Soviet offensive had forced 9. Armee to retreat without artillery and most of the towed weapons.

A Sperrverband usually included a detachment of the division‘s pioneers together with their veteran officers, NCO’s, and remaining front line troops. The men selected for this task were generally hardened veterans with proven combat experience and exceptional survival skills.

They recruited additional support from the arriving Panzer divisions as well as the retreating II Flakkorps (2nd Flak Corps). The flak batteries provided much needed anti-air and anti-tank support for this critical mission.

The pioneer platoon of a Sperrverband constituted the elite of the divisional pioneer assets. These experienced combat engineers outfitted themselves with everything their extensive combat knowledge and dwindling supply support would allow.

The infantry of the Sperrverband provide the firepower to deal with assaulting Soviet infantry. They too were the finest the German infantry battalions had left and were experienced and savvy enough to upgrade their weapons if the opportunity presented itself.